“Silas expertly and eloquently described the bittersweet “complexities” of Appalachia, painting a personal picture of his love of, and sorrows for, the region. I’m sure that audience members who are not from the area left with a better and more inclusive understanding of the Appalachia. Those from the area shared with me a reawakening of memories from their past both happy and painful –the complexities.” — National AHEC Organization, 2025
“Silas House isn’t simply genuine, caring, and socially just in his insights about his work, life, and society; he is evocative, always gesturing toward the human-affirming act of artistic creation. Silas represents Appalachia as Appalachia must be represented: as a universally relevant place of human love, toil, and righteous rage.” — UTC Honors College, 2025
“Silas House’s writing resonates deeply with me because of his ability to capture the heart and soul of Appalachia with such authenticity and compassion. His characters feel like real people, their struggles and triumphs echoing long after I’ve turned the last page. Silas’ storytelling is rich, lyrical, and deeply human, making every novel an immersive experience. Whether he’s exploring themes of family, identity, or resilience, his words always feel honest and necessary. His work isn’t just literature—it’s a window into a world that deserves to be seen and understood. I might add that Silas’ commitment to making this world we live in a better place is incomparable to any writer I know.” — Northeast Alabama Community College, 2025
“Silas House was an incredibly gracious with his time as we planned our event. The ‘table read’ format of “Another Country” was new to many of the staff involved with the program so he arrived earlier in the day in order to rehearse. It turned out to be a magical afternoon with our guests. Silas gave us insight into his current work and future books to look forward to. We consider ourselves so lucky to have him as part of the Lexington literary community.” — Lexington Public Library, 2024
“It can be difficult to encourage students to attend author events, but Silas is a well-known and beloved author, and students were excited to interact with him. Silas House is an excellent speaker and his book, Lark Ascending deals with dark and scary, but timely events. His presentation was moving, and students were engaged…. He is warm, thoughtful, and connects with students and readers on a very deep level. We were honored that he was a part of this event and would love to host a future event with Silas.” — Centre College, 2024
“Silas was wonderful with our students–actually with everyone, the faculty, staff, and community members too. Several local 6-12 schools brought students and he posed for picture and was very generous with his time. We loved watching him interact during book signing and also at the reception. Silas doesn’t just “play” at being the “real deal”–he just is. People all week have commented on what a great choice he was for the 20th Anniversary and we all agreed. Thanks so much for all the work from your end to make the visit happen!” — Owensboro Community and Technical College, 2024
“Silas House is a compassionate and thoughtful speaker who manages to engage and inspire the audience, while remaining relatable. We were all charmed by his presence!” — Kentucky Organization of Student Success, 2024
“I am in agreement with other members of our staff and faculty: his compassion and empathy resonated in all formal and informal conversations shared during his visit to campus. His willingness to share the sometimes excruciating steps of a spiritual journey is an important witness for others, particularly for our students. Multiple faculty, staff, and students have shared with me their gratitude for his visit and their own resonance with his story.” — Hanover College, 2024
“Silas is an authentic and powerful voice for those who live in and appreciate Appalachia. His presentation is meaningful and thought provoking.” — Greater Owensboro Chamber of Commerce, 2024
“Silas House was a pure delight to work with and he was able to connect with our audience in a big way at our event.” — Kentucky College of Art + Design, 2024
“I never had Plan B. I knew Silas House would be the absolute best keynote speaker for our first Called to Write conference, so I prayerfully reached out to AU and trusted God with the outcome. To say Silas exceeded our high expectations is an understatement. He won our hearts from the moment he arrived. His honesty, his humility, his deep regard for people, his kindness, his wisdom, and his sheer talent as a writer are just some of the qualities that were on full display that Saturday morning. The best Plan A ever. We could not have been more thrilled!” — Christ Church United Methodist, 2024
“Yesterday’s event was wonderful! As I made my way to the book signing line, I had several people stop me to ask what I thought of the event and to share their thoughts. Everything I heard was positive. In fact, many shared that it was such a positive experience that they wished we could do more of these. I must confess that I didn’t know of Silas House until seeing the flier for this event. I am reading Southernmost now and will start Lark Ascending when I’m done. He is such a talented author. Though I’m not a novelist, I loved hearing his approach to writing. I wish I had taken notes because I think his process could help me as I prepare sermons and write poetry. I should have been more prepared.” — Community Member, Lindsey Wilson College, 2024
“Silas House is so gracious and genuine. His strong sense of place and the way that he conveyed that to our students will be so memorable for them. His stories were engaging and told in a way that all who were present could identify with. them and be carried away to a time in their own childhood.” — Partners for Rural Impact, 2024
“Our patrons thoroughly enjoyed hearing from Silas House. He gave two presentations at our library, and was equally engaging in both the small, afternoon gathering where he read poetry and spoke about inspiration, and the larger evening event where he talked in-depth about Kentucky’s influence on his writings and what it’s like to be a Southern Author. He was great with our patrons questions and drew a large crowd after the event when signing books.” — Campbell County Library, 2023
“Southernmost engages my most deeply hidden fears and hopes . . . I love this book, and for it, I love Silas House.” — Dorothy Allison, author of Bastard Out of Carolina
“An urgent and beautifully written literary thriller about a man on the run that explores themes like the pain of atonement and the necessity of reconciliation, being published at a time when understanding across cultural and political divides seems wider than ever.” — Salon.com
“A master storyteller, Silas House shows a keen understanding of the modern South wrestling with change.” — Minneapolis Star-Tribune
